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South Africa will not help an estimated 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country’s North West province. They have been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining.
South Africa will not help an estimated 4,000 illegal miners inside a closed mine in the country’s North West province. They have been denied access to basic supplies as part of an official strategy against illegal mining. The miners in the mineshaft in Stilfontein are suffering from a lack of food, water, and other necessities after police closed off the entrances used to transport their supplies underground.
In the past few weeks, over 1,000 miners have surfaced at various mines in North West province, with many reported to be weak, hungry, and sickly after going for weeks without basic supplies. Police continue to guard areas around the mine to catch all those appearing from underground.
Government authorities maintained that the government would not send any help to the illegal miners as they were involved in a criminal act. Illegal mining remains common in South Africa’s old gold-mining areas, with miners going into closed shafts to dig for any possible remaining deposits. The illegal miners are often from neighbouring countries, and police say the illegal operations involve larger syndicates that employ the miners.
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Their presence in closed mines has also created problems with nearby communities, which complain that the illegal miners commit crimes ranging from robberies to rape.
